Cruise Blog

This week in our cruise news roundup, we bring news of new shore excursions, some new family river voyages, and some new ships heading to serve the British cruise industry.

Thomson Cruise Line gains two new ships

TUI Group, have announced plans to transfer two of their cruise ships from the German-based TUI Cruises to the UK-focussed Thomson Cruises. Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 will transfer in the next few years as part of efforts to modernise the Thomson Cruises fleet. Earlier this year it was announced that Thomson had acquired Splendour of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International and that will begin sailing for the line in April 2016. New names for the ships are yet to be announced.

Seabourn launches new shore excursions programme

“Ventures by Seabourn”, the luxury line's new excursions programme, aims to enhance passengers' overall experience on Seabourn Cruises. These excursions will launch from the ship’s marina and experts will guide groups to see rare sights on board small Zodiac boats. Passengers travelling on Seabourn Quest’s Northern Europe Voyages will be able to enjoy these new experiences on three cruises this summer with plans to expand the programme across the fleet in the future.

Adventures by Disney adds more river cruise dates

Adventures by Disney have added two new sailings to their itinerary as the entertainment giant takes to the rivers of Europe for a new cruise offering in partnership with AmaWaterways. A Danube voyage has been added to the slate, departing of 4 August 2016 along with another festive voyage which departs on 5 December 2015 adding to the four Danube trips and single holiday themed cruise which were already on offer. The AmaViola is a being fitted especially for these cruises to make it more family friendly including a reconfiguration of the rooms.

Viking Star arrives in London

The 930-passegner Viking Star arrived in Greenwich earlier this week, making it the largest ship to dock in the port. The stop was part of the maiden voyage for Viking’s first ocean faring ship which departed from Istanbul on April 15 2015 with the ultimate destination of Venice. Features on board this ship include an infinity pool set over the stern and a snow grotto where passengers can enjoy winter, even in tropical temperatures.